Wild Beasts Call It Quits

Wild Beasts are calling it quits. The cult British group, whose five albums swung from indie-rock cabaret to minimal art-funk, released the news in a statement this morning. “The four of us have decided, for our own reasons and in our own ways, that it is now time to leave this orbit,” they wrote. “We’re caretakers to something precious and don’t want to have it diminish as we move forward in our lives.” Celebrations of the band’s history will be unveiled in “further announcements” to come, according to the statement. Read it below.

Wild Beasts emerged in 2008 with debut LP Limbo, Panto. Its overt sexuality, baroque instrumentation, and unorthodox displays of masculinity planted them in the left-field of a British indie-rock scene given to kitchen-sink social commentary. Its follow-up, Two Dancers, retained the themes but drastically pared back the style, establishing the minimal R&B and funk-influenced sound that would define their next albums. Their third LP, 2011’s Smother, preceded a brief hiatus, but the band followed it in 2014 with Present Tense. They released their latest album, Boy King, last year.